Determined to put an end to multiple-taxation on boat operators, the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has said that the agency will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA)
The Lagos Area Manager of NIWA, Engineer Mauzu Sambo, who said this in an interview with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week, also said that there are moves to ensure that the agency and LASWA work together in the interest of Lagosians.
Sambo reiterated that as a public servant, he must do everything possible to protect the jobs that are already secured.
According to him, the MoU will be jointly signed by the Managing Director of NIWA, Senator Mamora Adeleke and the Governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo Olu.
“That MoU will be executed by both the MD of NIWA and the Governor of Lagos state after that it becomes like our working document that will form the basis or the platform for our collaboration”
Speaking further he said, “The MoU would have been signed but unfortunately we reached an understanding at the tail end of the last administration. So what we are trying to do now is to give the new administration sometime to settle down and have a look at some of the things that have been handed over to them.
Gov Ambode would have signed it, but because it came at the end of his administration but the state government in his wisdom left it for the incoming Governor to look at. The agreement was prepared by the Attorney General of Lagos in accordance with what NIWA has said” he said.
“Lagos and NIWA have made moves to ensure that we work together in the interest of the good people of Lagos. That means not just the people of Lagos stakeholders and anybody who is a tax payer in Lagos. We want to work in such a way that we must avoid multiple taxations”
“And we as public servant must do everything we can not only to protect jobs that are already secured, but to create an environment that will enable private sector to generate more jobs, so that our teaming youths are gainfully employed which will lead to wealth creation and avoidance of unnecessary youth unrest”, he explained.
Explaining further, the NIWA Lagos boss said that the collaboration will not only need to avoidance of multiple taxation, it will also lead to more effective monitoring of the activities of the operators.
According to him, “the collaboration will lead to avoidance of multiple taxation, it will lead to more effective and efficient monitoring of activities of the operators on the inland waterways, in such a way that no environmental degradation occurs that may lead to negative consequences on the environment”
Sambo however said that the two agencies are working to ensure that the tariffs are properly harmonized which according to him was why operators went to court to in the first place.
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